Steampunk Era: Mad Abield

Konen was somewhat puzzled. He knelt down in front of Malin: "Sir, is there such a thing as true and false faith?"

"Of course. Because for many years before the destruction came, there truly weren’t any deities who manifested themselves in this world. Those faiths were merely invoking different names—they had the Holy Mother, the Saint Heir, the Saint, and even the all-knowing, all-powerful Deity. But not one among them ever saved this world, let alone truly saved anyone." Malin sat up. He regarded Konen, this child who would surely never understand that before the apocalypse, no deity had ever truly manifested.

Those so-called eternals in the mouths of believers were nothing but creations of history and declarations spoken by men.

But when the Evil Gods came from Subspace, they brought with them genuine destruction. Civilization began its march toward ruin that day. Too many lives sacrificed everything in an effort to keep the flame of civilization alive.

"Then why did they believe in them?"

"Because that was their faith. We can mock their foolishness, but we cannot mock their faith, for at least that sentiment was utterly sincere." Malin, saying this, took two candies from his sugar box, tossed one to Konen, and unwrapped the other to throw into his own mouth.

"Even if it leads to destruction?" Konen still couldn’t comprehend.

Malin shook his head: "If destruction didn’t come, this wouldn’t be a problem. But the problem is, it did. That’s why this is where the issue lies. The Evil Gods replaced those deities, and they began to corrupt the souls of those who prayed to these names... In truth, these people are the most pitiful. We can only watch as the world heads toward destruction. Even in death, at least our souls might achieve freedom. But these people lost even their souls. The corruption of their souls transformed them into eternal supplicants of the Evil Gods. They lost even themselves."

"...I completely don’t understand." Konen shook his head. He looked at his own palm: "Quetos always says I’m slow. Today, I really get it."

"No, you’re just more skilled at fighting than thinking, child," Malin comforted him.

The boy shook his head: "Father told me to revere humanity because his mentor was the most exceptional human—the one who put an end to the war between bioengineered beings and humans. He told them, since we’re all struggling to survive on this planet, why can’t we join forces? ...Sir, I am very slow. Many times, I cannot understand human behavior. Among humans, there are figures as great as the Paladin of the Lord of Justice, there are Tech Hunters who risk their lives to venture into our territories, and there are those villains who want to capture our younglings and sell them... Humans are different from us."